Cragside

Cragside was built between 1870 and 1895 just outside the small town of Rothbury, where else but on the side of a crag.  It was built for Lord William Armstrong a renowned engineer.  A superlative - it was the first house in the world to be lit by hydroelectricity.  

The house contains William Morris-style decoration, numerous fully-furnished rooms and, unlike many similar British country houses, feels very much like a home rather than a museum. Having said that, one room entertainingly recreates several of Armstrong's experiments using electricity.

The gardens have been laid-out to resemble a Himalayan mountainside, with thousands of rhododendron bushes, today fully in flower.  The gardens were also experiencing record levels of rainfall.